Booting From Media, General Problems

The system does not boot.

Description:

When initially setting up a custom JumpStart server, you might encounter boot problems that do not return an error message. To verify information about the system and how the system is booting, run the boot command with the -v option. When you use the -v option, the boot command displays verbose debugging information on the screen.

Note –

If this flag is not given, the messages are still printed, but the output is directed to the system logfile. For more information, see syslogd(1M).

Solution:

For SPARC based systems, at the ok prompt, type the following command.

ok boot net -v - install

For x86 based systems, when the installation program prompts you to "Select type of installation,” type the following command.

b - -v install

Boot from DVD media fails on systems with Toshiba SD—M 1401 DVD-ROM

If your system has a Toshiba SD-M1401 DVD-ROM with firmware revision 1007, the system cannot boot from the Solaris 9 DVD.

Solution:

Apply patch 111649–03, or later version, to update the Toshiba SD-M1401 DVD-ROM drive's firmware. Patch 111649–03 is included on the Solaris 9 Supplement CD.

The installation fails after booting. (x86 based systems only)

Cause:

If you are installing from the Solaris 9 Installation CD, the Solaris 9 root slice must be located within the first 1024 cylinders of the disk.

Solution:

The BIOS and SCSI driver for the default boot disk must support logical block addressing (LBA). LBA enables the machine to boot beyond the 1024–cylinder limit and across Solaris disk slices. To determine if your system supports LBA, see Table 2–4. If your system does not support LBA, boot from a net image rather than the CD.

The system hangs or panics when non-memory PC cards are inserted. (x86 based systems only)

Cause:

Non-memory PC cards cannot use the same memory resources used by other devices.

Solution:

To correct this problem, see the instructions for your PC card and check for the address range.

The IDE BIOS primary drive on your system was not detected by the Solaris 9 Device Configuration Assistant x86 Platform Edition diskette during the pre-booting phase. (x86 based systems only)

Solution:

If you are using old drives, they might be unsupported. Check your hardware manufacturer's documentation.

Make sure the ribbon and power cables are plugged in correctly. Check the manufacturer's documentation.

If only one drive is attached to the controller, designate the drive as the master drive by setting jumpers. Some drives have different jumper settings for a single master, as opposed to a master operating with a slave. Connect the drive to the connector at the end of the cable to reduce signal ringing that occurs when an unused connector is dangling at the end of the cable.

If two drives are attached to the controller, jumper one drive as the master (or as a master operating with a slave), and jumper the second drive as a slave.

If one drive is a hard disk and the second a CD-ROM drive, designate one drive as the slave drive by setting jumpers. It does not matter which drive is connected to which drive connection on the cable.

If problems persist with two drives on a single controller, attach one drive at a time to verify that each drive works. Jumper the drive as master or single master, and use the drive connector at the end of the IDE ribbon cable to attach the drive. Verify that each drive works, then jumper the drives back to a master and slave configuration.

If the drive is a disk drive, use the BIOS setup utility to ensure that the drive type (which indicates the number of cylinders, heads, and sectors) is configured correctly. Some BIOS software might have a feature that automatically detects the drive type.

If the drive is a CD-ROM drive, use the BIOS setup screen to configure the drive type as a CD-ROM drive, provided the BIOS software offers this capability.

For many systems, IDE CD-ROM drives are only recognized by MS-DOS if an MS-DOS CD-ROM driver has been installed. Try another drive.

The IDE disk or CD-ROM drive on your system was not found by the Solaris 9 Device Configuration Assistant x86 Platform Edition diskette during the pre-booting phase. (x86 based systems only)